Crab Umbra

Enchantment — Aura

Enchant creature

{{2,U}}: Untap enchanted creature.

Totem armor (If enchanted creature would be destroyed, instead remove all damage from it and destroy this Aura.)

Combos

• Axebane Guardian + Crab Umbra
• Arbor Elf + Crab Umbra

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (47)

Dammjan on

2 years ago

Yeah Crab Umbra is just in there for the Totem armor and it is realy cheap. Might remove that instead of Sun Titan.

DreadKhan on

2 years ago

You could pull the Titan, but you also might remove one of the Umbra auras. Crab Umbra seems a bit odd, but I might be missing something? Either would seem reasonable to replac

king-saproling on Knock-Off Pirates

3 years ago

These too: Blades of Velis Vel , Wings of Velis Vel , Volatile Claws , Sakashima of a Thousand Faces , Sakashima the Impostor , Crab Umbra , Pemmin's Aura

king-saproling on Pirate Pingers

3 years ago

You might like these: Reckless Fireweaver , Amoeboid Changeling , Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar , Sigil of Sleep , Ophidian Eye , Quicksilver Dagger , Mistform Mask , Embraal Gear-Smasher , Lightning-Rig Crew , Crab Umbra , Chakram Retriever , Spark Double , Goldspan Dragon , Isochron Scepter , Merchant Scroll , Spellseeker

kpres on Merieke Ri Berit*

3 years ago

My very first EDH deck was based on Merieke. I didn't know the format very well, so I didn't build it very well. However I did use a few good auras that don't appear in your deck:

• Freed from the Real - : Untap

• Aura of Dominion - The creature you steal can be used to pay the cost of untapping with this one, if you steal an untapped creature.

• Crab Umbra - Doubles as protection for Merieke, but untapping is expensive

• Immobilizing Ink - Kinda bad, but better than nothing. Half the time you might put this on an opponent's creature.

Tzefick on Ellen, the Generous

3 years ago

It's definitely an interesting cards, but I must say that the most recent iteration's second ability still seems too powerful for just 2 mana, even if it grants the opponent a card draw.

It's a legendary creature at 3 CMC that is Esper colors. Most people dislike the additional costs that Grand Arbiter Augustin IV entails. Granted that is to all players and is passive and not active. However it being an active may actually be an upside because then it can be manipulated to basically lock out a player. What's the risk in giving them card draw, if they cannot cast anything?

Althought most single-target kill spells are instant speed, so you're still just making that player increase their chances to find one to kill the Advisor... There's a bit give-and-take / risk-vs-reward.

However consider cards like Aura of Dominion, ( Crab Umbra ), Freed from the Real, Pemmin's Aura, and Vigean Graftmage can relatively easily untap it.

For 5 mana and giving that opponent 2 card draws and gaining yourself a bunch of life, you make everything they cast cost more... That's pretty brutal in terms of taxing. And it can be your Commander. Factor in that the opponent wont play many cards - at least at sorcery speed - and you will be gaining increasingly more life for each activation, in Esper colors that could easily turn that life gain into kill pressure through Sanguine Bond, Vizkopa Guildmage, or Aetherflux Reservoir.

Thinking about it, it's not actually all that powerful (compared to many other things in Magic), but it REALLY would suck to be on the receiving end, especially in a color that either has very few instant speed cards or nothing effective to use it on. Being locked out of the game is an even worse gameplay experience than being killed - at least IMO.

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May I suggest an alternative that is more flexible?

alternative Show

Ellen, the Generous

Legendary Creature - Human Advisor

Vigilance.

, : Target opponent chooses clue, food or treasure, then creates a token of the chosen kind. Until your next turn, creatures that player controls cannot attack you or planeswalkers you control.

, : Target opponent draws a card, then you gain life equal to the number of cards in that player's hand. Until your next turn, spells that player casts costs an additional to cast. That player may pay 2 life to pay for each of this cost.

2/2

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This way you still get to tax them, but they can opt out by paying life. So you cannot lock people down, you can just make it very costly to cast spells - 4 life per spell is still quite a ratio for 2 mana and tapping a creature. Additionally in formats like Commander you cannot hinder players that early in the game, as most people are willing to pay the life to continue playing magic. I got rid of the timing perspective by simply stipulating a "Until your next turn." to increase the power of the ability - or rather decrease the power of instant speed versus this effect.

Overall I think this makes the card less problematic. It also more easily doubles as a way to drop people in life - rather efficiently might I add - than keeping people from playing.

It could be considered to make it a group hug effect that affects all players - including you. So you choose what hinders the table from round to round and what compensation you give. Since you control the activation, you can choose when to apply it so you are the least hindered by its effects. You can also delay the activation so other players might not be hindered and thus use it politically.

Anyway, food for thought.

shaftdiggity on Alela, Enchantress of the Fae

3 years ago

Idol of Oblivion would be an all-star I would think.

If you find people target Alela, maybe Kaya's Ghostform, Crab Umbra, Hyena Umbra, or Gift of Immortality

MajordomoTom on Tuvasa Pillow Fort

3 years ago

recommend you add some umbras to get totem armor:

Crab Umbra or Eland Umbra

and others

Love that Tuvasa, I have him driving a deck with enchantments and merfolk.